When winter rolls around, Ted Steinke grabs his camera and heads for the freshwater wetlands where the Bear River lazily meanders its way into Great Salt Lake.
The 59-year-old Layton resident knows that's the time when certain species of birds are actively searching and competing for a scarce food supply, and are most apt to put on a show for wildlife photographers.
But on a visit to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in March, little did Steinke know he was about to strike photographic gold when he came across some hawks sparring over a duck carcass.
He started shooting away, and the result took the top prize in the National Wildlife Refuge Association's 2009 Refuge Photography Contest.
His image of two dueling northern harriers, dubbed "Harrier Fight", was chosen from more than 2,000 submissions from refuges in 44 states and territories.
Steinke didn't realize he might have a winning image until he got home and uploaded the pictures to his computer screen.
"When you're shooting, you shoot as much as you can while the action is going on. You don't want to peek too much or you can miss the action," he said.
"In this case, it looked pretty good when I got home. You about shout out loud for catching one like that."
The NWRA started its annual photo contest in 2006 as a way to raise awareness and tell the stories of the 550 national wildlife refuges found throughout the United States and its territories, said Evan Hirsche, president of the association.
"These photos will help us illustrate why it's so important to protect and conserve our wildlife and habitats for the benefit of future generations," Hirsche said.
Steinke is no stranger to the contest. He took fifth place out of about 2,400 submissions in 2007, and received honorable mention last year. Both of those winning submissions were also of birds at the Bear River refuge, although he also enjoys photographing big game in the mountains.
While there's usually a certain degree of luck involved, he said his recent success in the contest also stems from his familiarity with the birds that frequent the refuge.
"It's about knowing the particular critter," he said.
"In the wintertime, harriers are starved for food, and two or three times a winter I'll see them concentrate around a kill and try to chase each other away. I'll stay there as long as they keep coming."
Steinke's somewhat roundabout path to wildlife photography began more than 35 years ago. He first started taking pictures in 1972 while working for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"We had to use cameras to document evidence -- a food warehouse with rodents or whatever," he said. "I learned the technical aspects there, and also applied them outside of the job."
From there, he began shooting animal behavior and hunting videos. He didn't get back into still photography until earlier this decade, after digital photography finally caught up to traditional film photography in terms of image quality.
In addition to nationwide recognition of his work, Steinke received a $5,000 cash prize for first place. He said he plans to spend it on a new camera that shoots both still images and video, and gives him another weapon in his arsenal as he prepares for the next contest.
"I'll be trying again for next year."
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